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Clinical Care Options’ Decision Support Tool Shows a Significant Discordance Between Expert-Recommended Evidence-Based Management of irAEs and the Practice Patterns of Healthcare Providers

Based on the results of this study, it’s clear that there is a great need among HCPs for evidence-based and balanced guidance to manage the unique toxicities associated with ICIs. - Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD

(PRWEB)November 20, 2017

Data presented at the 2017 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) annual conference from an online tool developed by Clinical Care Options (CCO) in consultation with Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD, suggest that healthcare providers (HCPs) are often uncertain about how to manage unique immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Prompt recognition and proper management of irAEs in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are critical to receiving optimal benefit and mitigating serious complications from ICI treatment. Due to the increasingly more common use of ICIs in oncology and the unique safety profile associated with them, the tool was developed to provide patient-specific guidance and management of these irAEs.

Tool users were surveyed about the impact that the tool had on their practice, and more than 90% indicated that the recommendations provided by the tool either changed or confirmed their management plan. Data presented at SITC showed the most frequently searched irAEs, the areas of greatest and least concordance with expert recommendation, and a comparison of US HCPs vs non-US HCPs in terms of variance from expert recommendation.

“Based on the results of this study, it’s clear that there is a great need among HCPs for evidence-based and balanced guidance to manage the unique toxicities associated with ICIs,” said Jeffrey S. Weber, MD, PhD. “This tool meets that need and we have received tremendous positive feedback from the CCO members. We hope to continually improve and fine-tune our tool based on user input, expert guidance, and current literature,” added Tina Stacy, PharmD, BCOP, CHCP, Senior Vice President, Educational Strategy and General Manager, Oncology at CCO.

A detailed analysis of the tool, including case entries and planned management vs best practice recommendations for each irAE and grade was presented at SITC on November 11, 2017. Future iterations of this tool will include a panel of 5 faculty members and may address tumor-specific and agent-specific irAE profiles. The most recent version of this tool can be found at http://www.clinicaloptions.com/immuneAEtool

Marcello K, Obholz K, Quill T, Weber J. Variance from evidence-based management of immune-related adverse events among healthcare providers: analysis of an online management decision tool. Program and abstracts of the 32nd annual meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy in Cancer; November 10-12, 2017; National Harbor, Maryland.

About Clinical Care Options
Clinical Care Options, LLC, is a global leader in the development of innovative educational programs and technology platforms. CCO’s team has been a pioneer in the creation of continuing education and decision support resources for healthcare professionals both in the United States and around the world for more than 2 decades. For more information, visit clinicaloptions.com.